Morgan
by Abbra063
Summary: A story about two brothers named Arthur and Percival... mainly Percival though. After a convenient accident occurs and they are forced to go on a semi-epic quest.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon or any of its** **creation** s

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Prologue

Four years ago. It was a beautiful day in the region Kalos. The sky was a refreshing blue, the sun cast down warm, gentle light. Fletchlings chirped and bunnelbys bounded around, cheerfully sending greetings to the other pokemon around them. But, unfortunately not everyone was that cheerful.

On Route 20, also known as the Winding Woods, two ralts brothers weren't sharing the joy the others were.

"Arthur, if thou refuseth to stoppeth thine's swift running, than I shall be forced to cause thou to do so against thy will!" Morgan the ralts yelled at his brother. His large white feet were failing miserably to bring him closer to Arthur, who was a much faster runner than him.

Arthur, who was also a ralts, looked back at his slightly younger brother with a sneaky grin and shouted back, "Sounds good, but no thanks." He started running even faster, chuckling at his slower, clumsier brother's attempts to keep up with him.

Morgan stopped running and took sharp intakes of breath. His brother stopped running and turned around to look at him, shaking his head. "Oh come on, is that the best you can do?" he taunted. Morgan scowled and decided it was time to play dirty, sending the move Confusion towards his mocker.

Arthur stumbled back, suddenly grew confused, and starting stumbling around while accidently hitting himself in the face. Morgan grinned and walked towards him, still panting. Arthur collapsed on the ground after smacking himself in the head in an attempt to punch the ralts that was standing next to him. Morgan stood over his brother with a smug expression on his face and said, "I warned thee". A gothita named Lorelei was walking by, and seeing her, Arthur snapped out of his confusion.

Morgan sighed as his brother immediately jumped to his feet and ran over to Lorelei. Morgan knew of his brother's affections for her, but he still thought making conversation every time she was around was a bit excessive. "My dear brother, thee have acquired the attention span of a vigoroth full of sugar," he said loud enough for Arthur to hear.

Arthur clearly didn't care as he made no response, instead tapping the gothita on the shoulder to get her attention. Her blue eyes slowly rolled in her head to direct her dull gaze towards him. "Hiya Lori!" he said confidently, though Morgan knew he was consumed by nervousness.

"Hello Arthur," she said with a tone drained of any form of emotions. She stared directly at him, her gaze drilling through him to stare at the essence of his very soul. At least that's what Morgan saw before leaving Arthur to be caught in his own web of awkwardness.

The sun still rose and set that day.

Two years later. It was an average day in Kalos, the blue sky was dotted with clouds and the sun was struggling to shine behind one. Fletchlings slept in their nests and bunnelbys hopped around kept to themselves. But fortunately not everyone was in such a dull mood.

Back in the Winding Woods, two kirlia brothers named Arthur and Morgan were cheerfully running and leaping in circles. Arthur stopped and yelled out, "I can't believe we finally evolved!" while throwing his arms up into the air. Morgan nodded in agreement, knowing that if he were to speak it would come out in excited squeals.

Both of them jumped at the sound of creaking and leafs shaking. They shook as they looked at the angry trevenant named Miss Hellebore their rejoicing had awoken. "Shut up!" she bellowed at them. A noctowl named Mister Zephyr that had been resting on her head flapped his wings and sent a glare at them. Yet before she could yell at them, her head snapped in a different direction as if she had heard a sound. Zephyrs's head also swiveled in the same direction, completely forgetting the kirlia brothers in a matter of seconds.

Arthur and Morgan glanced at each other while the she remained frozen. The two Emotion Pokemon standing in front of her could feel the waves of pure, uncontrolled rage that were coming from her. Morgan stepped forward a little and cleared his throat to say, "Um, Miss, is anything upsetting thou right now?"

A deep echoing growl emitted from her "throat" and Zephyr started to flap in what was either anger or distress. "Someone…someone…SOMEONE CUT DOWN A TREE!" she bellowed in outrage, and started running away from them. Morgan and Arthur learned that trevenants can run very, very fast if they wish to do so.

Soon the forest was filled with the sound of trevenants all moving with incredible speed towards one point. Morgan and Arthur held close to each other while bellows of rage and the rustling sound of the entire forest shaking in pure anger. Shadows passed by and over them, only being illuminated by one glowing red eye.

When all movement near them seemed to stop, they pulled away from each other.

"OW!" a familiar voice cried out, causing Morgan to jump and hide his face, while causing Arthur to run in the direction the voice came from. Morgan looked up from his hands and leapt after his brother.

They skidded to a halt in front of where the cry had come from. Lorelei the gothorita was trying to help her best friend, a jigglypuff named Marcy, from under a fallen tree. Marcy kept crying out when Lorelei would try to use her psychic powers to move the branch and only ended up dropping it on her again.

Marcy moaned, "Oh, ow, ow" until Lorelei failed her third attempt in which she cried out again.

Arthur asked, "Are you okay? Can we help?" while Morgan looked for the fallen tree's origin. It appeared that something had pushed the tree aside with great force, uprooting it completely. It probably wasn't the tree the Miss Hellebore had been referring to, since there was no cut nor were they surrounded by murderous trevenants.

"Sorry," Lorelei apologized to Marcy, and turned to look at Arthur and Morgan, and looked shocked for a split second at their evolved forms before returning to a neutral expression. "If you want to know what, some trevenants ran by and pushed the tree on top of Marcy," she explained "Pretty pathetic that they make a big deal about the slightest damage to a tree, but damage them themselves sometimes. Also, yes I would appreciate the help greatly."

"Yes. Help is very good," Marcy said, sounding slightly muffled due to her face resting in the grass and dirt. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't drop it on me."

Arthur and Morgan stood next to Lorelei, they could both sense Marcy's growing fear and anxiety, and Lorelei's inner battle between calm and nervous. It caused Morgan to tremble while his brother tried to focus on the task at hand.

Lorelei took a deep breath and said, "Okay, we lift in three, three…two…ONE!"

They all focused with all their might, and the tree was surrounded in bright pink psychic energy. It very slowly started floating up into the air, though Marcy was still unable to get out. Arthur was also trying to lift the regular way, though it was hard to tell if it was helping or not. Slowly, very slowly, Marcy inched her way out little by little, until she lost her patience. She lived up to her title of "Balloon Pokemon" and inflated herself to widen her opening.

Once she freed herself completely, they dropped the tree to the ground with a loud thud. "Woo-Hoo!" she shrieked while bouncing up and down excitedly. Lorelei collapsed on the ground panting, as did Morgan. Marcy cheerfully giggled and cooed, "Thanks you guys!" her expression became slightly confused and she wondered aloud, "But what do you think all those trevenant were running around for?"

Morgan rubbed his temples while Arthur answered, "I dunno, but Miss Hellebore said something about someone cutting down a tree and ran off. And it seemed that all the other trevenants followed her example. It seems like a big deal over a tree, it kind of makes me want to see what was going on."

Lorelei got up and dusted herself off, before she looked at Arthur with the same pure focus that she did whenever they spoke. "I see you and Morgan evolved, quite impressive. As for your interest in the trevenants stirring, it's no big deal," she said in a slow and dull tone, a habit that made conversations with her long-winded. She explained how it wasn't uncommon for trevenants to attack people who cut down or harmed trees in their area. She also explained that it was just that Miss Hellebore who had a way of stirring up all of them.

At that point in her very, very, very slow explanation, Marcy had fallen asleep by a tree, and Morgan was losing his patience.

"Also, I would like to thank you for helping me get Marcy out from under that tree, it was noble of you to run to our aid," she said, with faint signs of admiration slipping into her words, and even more of it radiating from her. This caused irritation to prick Morgan, leaving a bleeding wound that oozed anger.

Arthur was too lovestruck by her charming words to notice his brother's frustration. Morgan knew that Lorelei could only seem to see Arthur if they were around each other, but it wouldn't have killed her to thank Morgan too. To keep his anger from growing even further, he decided it might be time to leave. They were used to it and simply ignored Morgan's sudden absence.

He stumbled away, tripping over more trees the trevenants had uprooted. After his fifth face plant, he started hearing things. There was the familiar growling of a trevenant, but there was something else…it sounded like a human.

"Zelda, use Shadow Claw!" a male human voice shouted, shocking Morgan with how close his voice sounded. It was joined by the sound of a trevenant crying out and falling to the ground.

Morgan lowered himself to the ground and crawled over to where he heard the voice coming from. He crawled through some long grass as quietly as he could and prayed he wasn't in the trainer's line of view. He could sense the trainer's emotion, it was slightly nervous, probably since the Winding Woods wasn't the most comforting place. His other emotions were confused and slightly happy, which confused Morgan.

He might have been confused from the sudden trevenant movement. That was one question answered, but why was he happy? Morgan's curiosity peaked and he raised his head slightly above the grass to get a look at the trainer. He saw a young boy with black hair and dark eyes standing in the center of a massacre. It seemed like every trevenant in the woods were knocked out cold at his feet. Behind him was a tiny tree with a clean cut splitting it through its center.

"Nice going Zeld, you stopped all them," the trainer praised, turning Morgan's attention to what he was praising.

Zelda was beautiful, despite the fact that she was a doublade. Two beautiful polished blades attached to golden hilts wrapped with lovely cloth the color of a Colbur Berry. She caused Morgan to be so entranced that he didn't notice that he had blown his hiding spot. He didn't even notice her light pink eyes staring at him with a cold expression.

Morgan only realized his mistake when the trainer shouted, "Woah! A kirlia! I didn't know those could be found here!" and caused him to snap back to reality.

"Sorry about this kid," Zelda said coldly, before both swords lashed out at him. Morgan felt both agonizing pain and something hit him on the head. He looked over to see a pokeball opening up, and everything went white.

The sun rose that day, and it set with a family missing one member, and another family gaining one.

Two more years passed. It was a crummy day in Kalos, especially in Snowbelle Town. A blizzard whipped around the town, sending snow everywhere. It was night, and the moon was nothing more than a faint light through the clouds.

A tall, thin figure trudged through the snow while visibly shaking. They collapsed on the ground once they reached the cover of the Winding Woods. A male gardevoir curled into a ball, shivering and taking shaky breaths. He barely raised his head at the sound of approaching footsteps.

A gallade carrying several Kasib berries walked over to the huddled figure with a worried expression. The gardevoir managed a shocked expression at the familiar eyes and posture the newcomer carried. Upon seeing the gardevoir's face, the gallade's arms went somewhat limp, dropping several berries.

"M-Morgan," he stuttered, before shaking his head and saying, "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just thinking of-"

"Arthur?" the gardevoir croaked weakly while trying to sit up.

Arthur dropped the remaining berries he was holding. His mind was working faster than it ever had before. Morgan was also confused, but he had more understanding of the situation than his bother did. He managed to stand with his knees knocking together rapidly.

He raised his hand to quiet Arthur, who was rapidly asking questions as fast as his brain was thinking of them. "It is I, your brother," he spoke firmly, even though tears were rapidly trying to fill his eyes.

Arthur's confused thoughts cleared slightly, and one thought shone through his clouded mind. Morgan, his brother, was back. He threw his arms around Morgan before he could even continue his sentence. Hugging his brother back, the freezing gardevoir had tears streaming down his face along with a giant grin.

Arthur pulled away, sharing Morgan's big smile. He punched Morgan in the arm and excitedly yelled, "I don't know where you've been or what's going on, but it's great to have you back!"

Unfortunately Morgan was still weak and collapsed like a card house the second Arthur punched him. Arthur apologized repeatedly while helping his brother up, deciding the conversation should continue in a warmer area. He led his brother throughout the woods that had changed quite a bit since the last time Morgan was there.

They finally reached their home, the Pokemon Village. Frost covered the many flowers, which was uncommon even in winter or fall. A warm glow was visible from where the brothers were, showing the location of their father Pyre.

He didn't need Arthur to show him the way to where their parents were. He walked through the flowers that brushed cold frost against his skin and nearly reached up to his neck. What he found was his sleeping mother and father cuddled together, surrounded by sleeping pokemon attracted to Pyre's fiery warmth.

Arthur shuffled up to his brother, cringing at the icy flowers' touch. He smiled at a female gothorita whose head was bobbing back and forth as she tried to sleep. He looked over to Morgan, whose tears were once again spilling down his face.

Arthur nudged him with the blade on his arm. "Everyone's really missed you. We thought we'd never see you again. We especially didn't expect you to be all evolved," he said.

"I didn't think I would see you either," Morgan weakly replied, wiping away his tears before smiling at Arthur. "I really didn't think you would evolve, much less into a gallade."

Arthur cleared his throat, "So, I guess we should talk now huh?"

Morgan simply nodded. They sat down next to the gothorita, and Morgan's eyes widened upon recognizing his childhood friend. He mouthed "Lorelei?" to Arthur, who nodded.

"So, would you mind if I started?" Morgan asked, taking a deep breath once Arthur shook his head. "Well, as you may already know...I was captured. That's where I have been for these past… roughly two years, right?"

Arthur forced a small smile and said, "Yeah, we were told by a noctowl that had witnessed it. And, it may be hard to believe, but Miss Hellebore kept beating herself up for not stopping it somehow." He sighed while shaking his head slightly, and looked at his brother with a sad expression he was unable to hide.

He talked about how their family worried about their missing member, and how other pokemon tried to comfort them. He spoke in a un-Arthur-like monologue fashion, the sighing didn't add up either. Except every long sentence or sigh was countered by a goofy smile when he looked at the brother he had missed so much.

"So how were things on your side Morgan?" Arthur asked when he had completed his speech.

"Morgan" put his face slightly in his hand and muttered under his breath, "Oh right, I guess you wouldn't know that. But my name is Percival now."

Arthur cocked his head and asked, "What?"

"Well, that's the name my trainer gave me, I've gotten used to it after two years," Percival said while shifting uncomfortably under Arthur's gaze. "But if you wish to continue calling me Morgan, that is perfectly fine as well."

Arthur yawned and half spoke half mumbled, "Nah, I'll call you Percival if you want…it kind of sounds cool. Oh yeah, what did ever happen with your trainer? I mean, you're here so something must have happened."

Percival tensed up immediately, his eyes becoming a whirlpool of anxiety and pain. Arthur didn't see this and continued asking related questions while looking at Lorelai.

"My trainer abandoned me okay! Now enough of thy questions!" Percival snapped harshly.

If a gallade could get any paler, Arthur did. He stared at his brother, only to notice his eyes watering and his expression pained and angry. He opened his mouth several times, though no words managed to escape from it.

"I am so sorry, I…I just…" Percival stuttered with guilt suddenly overwhelming his anger.

"It's, uh, okay," Arthur said, gulping nervously and unconsciously leaning away from his brother. "I was being a too nosy, sorry," he said while trying to regain some courage.

Lorelei and several other pokemon shifted and turned in their sleep, some blinking their eyes open. Some yelped in surprise at the sight of the two new figures, even more so at an unfamiliar gardevoir. Once their mother awoke, it didn't take her long to recognize her long lost son.

There was much rejoicing and many sun set that day with a family made complete again, and Arthur muttering under his breath, "That wasn't his voice, whose voice did I hear?"

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 **Author's Note: Yes, I know it's long-winded and sucks, but I would still appreciate feedback. I would also like to note that, so far, I've enjoyed writing Lorelai's dialogue the most. She seems to always be one or two topics behind what is currently being talked about, I also found I enjoy being able to monologue.**


	2. Breakfast with Morgana and Pyre

Chapter 1

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Percival blinked awake to the unpleasant experience of sun shining in his eyes. He rolled over to see Arthur snoring in his sleep a couple of feet away from him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes then yawned. He remembered what was planned for today and a small smile ran across his face.

Standing up and stretching he wondered how he would wake up Arthur today. _Maybe I should let him sleep in, we have time…but not enough for him to wake naturally._ He walked over to his brother and thought for a minute, then dropped a flower in his open mouth.

Arthur snorted, coughed, and bolted upright. Percival chuckled softly and hoped he didn't look as smug as he currently felt.

"Hey! What the heck dude?" Arthur shouted, and then coughed up another piece of flower.

"My, heh, sincerest apologies brother. It simply seemed that you would not wake up soon, and you know mother doesn't appreciate it when we are late," Percival said, snickering.

"Mother? Oh right!" Arthur yelled.

Percival nodded and said, "We still have to pick up Nancy and Lorelei too you know."

"That still doesn't justify the flower," he grumbled, though Percival decided to ignore him.

He looked around the Pokemon Village, which was as beautiful as it ever was. He heard bellowing laughter coming from his right. _Wulfric._ The Snowbelle Town gym leader was very fond of the Pokemon Village. Percival ducked below the flowers, hoping that Wulfric wouldn't see him. Or if he did spot him, not recognize him from his time as a captured pokemon.

He heard Arthur walking up behind him, completely ignoring what had become Percival's routine. They walked alongside each other, Percival crouching below the flowers, and Arthur walking normally.

They reached the cover of the Winding Woods and he immediately straightened up, seeing Arthur roll his eyes from the corner of his own.

They navigated the twisting woods to a where an ancient trevenant napped as zoruas and hoothoots chased around him. His legs, arms, and head were covered with what was probably a majority of the Pokemon in the forest.

Resting on one of the branches protruding from his arms, was a both beautiful and familiar chandelure. She was scanning the crowd, yet still managed to miss them.

"Hey Nancy!" Arthur shouted to her while they both waved to get her attention.

She looked around even more, only spotting them when a kindly zoroark pointed them out. She floated down with a happy look in her bright yellow eyes.

The first thing Percival did when she got close to the ground was take a long, sweeping bow. "You look as radiant as ever, my dear," he said politely. She gave a ghostly giggle that emitted from her indigo flames.

"Aw, Percival, you're such a charmer," Nancy cooed.

"Okay, now let's go pick up Lorelai before her dad kills me for being slightly late," Arthur said hurriedly, as if he just remembered her father's disdain for him.

Percival looked at Nancy and did an exaggerated sigh to make her laugh, which she did. They followed more slowly after speed-walking Arthur to Lorelei's home. Nancy wrapped her thin, metallic arm around Percival's. He uncomfortably removed his arm while trying to stay subtle. She gave him a weird look, but inevitably shrugged it off.

They stopped in front of a hollow tree with a stone slab covering the main entrance. Hordes of foongus snuggled around it. Arthur clumsily tried to avoid stepping on them, making Nancy and Percival wince when he nearly did.

"Um, is Lorelei there?" he called in, even though he knew she was.

The stone slab was surrounded in pink light, and was moved out of the way. In the entrance stood a gothitelle with a small smile and frowning father.

"It is lovely to see you, Arthur," she began, but she didn't stop there. "I am quite grateful that you would invite me to breakfast with you and your family. I look forward to enjoying the light of the Pokemon Village some more. It will also be nice to spend some more time with Nancy, since she is dear to someone who has always been like family to me."

She smiled bigger when she looked at Nancy, and would have continued speaking if it weren't for Arthur. "It's great to have you come," he interrupted quickly before she could speak for twenty more minutes. _Thank goodness._

She gave him a small peck on the head, causing blush to dance across his face. Percival smiled at the sweet scene. _But what about her-_

 _Thunk_

A spoon flew in between them and hit a tree, sticking into its bark. A passing trevenant glared at them. Lorelei's father, an old Alakazam by the name of Sieve, was glaring at them. He pointed two trembling old fingers at his eyes, then at them. He used his powers to grab his spoon, then to close the entrance off.

Percival heard muffled goodbyes from her mother and her siblings. "You should know that my father has required we remain at least two feet apart, and my mother has required we stay at least four feet close," she said dully.

Arthur groaned and backed off to the proper distance while Nancy and Percival laughed at him. They traversed the sea of foongus again, and Lorelei was much more graceful about it.

Now that they were all together, it was time for the long walk back to the Pokemon Village. On the way they talked, laughed, and ran into a couple of familiar faces. Once they reached the brightness of their colorful home, Percival immediately searched for the sun. _Dang it._

"We're late, Mother is going to kill us," he grumbled, pointing to the sky.

"We can't be _that_ late," Arthur said. He looked up and yelped. "Oh, we are sooooo late," he moaned.

He heard a sizzling sound and cringed at what it meant. He scrunched his eyes shut and wasn't surprised when he heard his father's voice.

"Well, Arty, Percy, it's nice to see you finally come around," he said with a teasing tone. Percival opened his eyes and looked down to see Pyre the slugma looking back at him.

Arthur sighed and said that they got up a little late, grumbling slightly. Pyre smiled widely at them, and started inching back home. _Of course Father could never be angry about something so mild… Mother on the other hand._

They reached a little hut with no walls that had housed the brothers for years. Standing in front of it was an annoyed ralts by the name of Morgana. Two garbodor flanked her on either side, trying to look like they weren't bodyguards. They wore flowers that Morgana had no doubt insisted they wear to block out the smell.

"Well, well, well," was all she said, before turning around and walking under the leafy roof. That was when Percival knew she wanted them to try and get her forgiveness.

He stepped forward and sighed before saying, "I'm sorry that we're late, if I had gotten up sooner this wouldn't have happened."

It did the trick. She turned around with a smile that proved she wasn't as mad as she pretended to be. "Oh, it's not that big of a deal. I'm just happy to have you all visit us," she said cheerfully. _And of course she can't be mad in Lorelei's presence._

Pyre told the garbodors that they could leave, and they reluctantly did so. Morgana had set down a plank of wood to work as a table. On it was every form a Kasib berry could be in, sliced, smashed, drizzled in honey, and even toasted.

Lorelei sat down first, and Arthur went to sit next to her. "Remember, two feet," she whispered faintly, too distracted by the food to pay much attention to him. He grumbled and had to sit with Nancy and Percival in between him and Lorelei.

"First off, I have to say how happy I am that my boys found two wonderful girls," Morgana said sweetly. Percival looked at Nancy giggle and blush, and Lorelei struggle against a giant smile. _Mother always knows what to say_.

"I'm just glad none of you settled for dittos," Pyre joked. Everyone snickered or chuckled except for Nancy. Percival nudged her with his elbow, flinching at making contact with her cold skin. She leaned closer to him, and he fought the urge to lean away.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"My mother was a ditto," she whispered back to him. _Well this is awkward._

Pyre laughed and said, "Ha ha! I'm just kidding… slightly." He winked at them with a sneaky smile. Morgana slapped him gently and scolded him in honor of all their ditto neighbors. "Okay, okay, I am one hundred percent joking. Any pokemon is fine as long as she's good for you," he finally admitted to Morgana's pleasure. "And you both are, especially you Nancy, you're just Percy's type."

"What do you mean?" Nancy asked.

Arthur chimed in, "It means his last two girlfriends were a doublade and a klefki."

If Nancy had eyebrows, one would be raised. "I knew about Kairi, but what's this about a doublade?" she asked.

"Zelda wasn't my girlfriend," Percival muttered under his breath. He bit into a slice of Kasib berry in a weak attempt to hide his blush.

"That's right, because she kept rejecting you," Arthur teased, on the brink of mocking. Morgana also slapped him, and slightly harder that she had Pyre. Percival buried his quickly heating face in his hands, and he could feel the sympathetic looks from Nancy and Lorelei _. It's been 7 months since I got back, and yet they still tease me about that._

"Um, can I borrow Arthur and Percival for a bit?" a weak voice interrupted Morgana's scolding. They all turned to where it came from. It was Marcy, looking a paler shade of pink than usual. Her usual bubbliness wasn't present, and she didn't have the sneakiness that normally replaced it.

Despite her clear change from what was usual, Marcy was still known for causing problems. Percival looked at Arthur, and they shared a single thought. _Oh no_.

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 **Author's Note: This was just a filler chapter to introduce Nancy and set up the story. Unfortunately it didn't come out as well as I had hoped. Fun fact, the breakfast scene was the first part of the story that I ever came up with. Feedback is greatly appreciated.**

 **The next chapter is "Marcy's Request".**


	3. Marcy's Request

Chapter 2

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"Marcy, what's wrong?" Lorelei asked, clearly concerned for her best friend. "You look distressed and rather pale. This isn't about-"

"No! I, um, it isn't," she wildly insisted.

While he remained cautious, Percival couldn't help but feel pity stab at his chest. He could feel her emotions, it was like a bunch of unpleasant sounds being made all at once. _She's so desperate and…completely losing it._

"I-I just need to talk to Arthur and Percival about something," she said with her voice wavering and sounding ready to break.

"Are you sure you're okay dear?" Pyre asked nervously. She nodded quickly while attempting a fake smile that came out as anxious and pained. Percival looked at his brother, who was already standing up.

He stood as well and tried to give the others a reassuring look. Marcy sighed in relief, but managed to become even more anxious as she led them away. On the way to wherever they were going, a garbodor looked worried about the unstable jigglypuff leading their way. He held up a trash can and looked ready to trap Marcy with it, but Percival waved him down.

Soon they reached the forest, and got deeper and deeper in it. Arthur finally said, "So, are we going anywhere in particular?"

She stopped and looked around, as if she had been in a trance. "No, I think we're far enough," she said, almost whispering. She looked around to check to see if anyone was around, and no one was.

She turned around and looked at them, and said nothing. She was trying to calm herself by taking deep, shaky breaths. She opened her mouth a couple of times, but only squeaks and other small sounds came out. Her expression was stressed, with her eyes looking like tears were attempting to escape. Neither brother said anything.

"I went to Snowbelle yesterday…" she finally said, but her voice quickly faded away.

He heard Arthur groan, and he did as well. _I thought she was getting over it. Lorelei should hear about this too, why was she left out? What on earth did she do? What did she steal?_

Marcy put her head down and looked ready to cry. They were going to have to tread carefully in order to keep those tears from overflowing. He couldn't let his temper flare over something she clearly regretted herself.

He looked over at Arthur, who was ready to do the talking. "Okay, so you went to Snowbelle. Then what did you do?" he asked, sounding more concerned than exasperated.

She choked out a single sob and effectively fractured his heart. "I-I-I…" she mumbled, before taking a very, very, _very_ deep breath. "I found a Moon Stone and took it," she said very quickly, but was unable to hide her voice cracking.

It was Percival's turn to speak, "Something happened, didn't it? If you had succeeded then you would be a wigglytuff by now."

She sniffed, and her confidence was either growing or shrinking. "Some s-stupid furfrou barked at me… an-and I got shocked and dropped it somewhere in the snow."

That left a single question to be answered. _Why are we here?_

"That's part of the reason that I… oh, never mind," she mumbled.

"What is it? Is there more?" Arthur asked.

"Well I just… it was stupid. But if you really want to know, I was wondering if… you could get it back for me…" she whispered almost inaudibly.

"What?" both brothers asked on instinct. More tears fell from her giant blue eyes, and even more strangled sobs escaped her throat.

"I-I know it's n-not right to steal," she sobbed weakly. "But I-I've wanted to evolve for so long. I got _you_ a Dawn Stone, and I got _your_ girlfriend a Dusk Stone, but there was never a stinkin' Moon Stone! A-And now I found one! And-and I know that it's not good for me to be this way… but this is just one thing I've wanted for so long!"

Her rant ended and Arthur rushed forward to give her a tight hug. Percival felt her grieve and anger completely overwhelm him in way that he had been trained to avoid.

He swallowed back the bile in his throat and tried to speak without his voice wavering. "Marcy, I really wish we could help you, but we can't. First off, how do you know that the trainer that you stole it from didn't find it? Secondly, Lorelei would _not_ approve of us helping you steal. Which leads me to my final point, you've tried so hard to get over your stealing habit. We can't reward it when you fall back into doing it," he said, amazed that he managed to get through it.

Marcy pulled away from Arthur and wiped her eyes. She looked much less anxious than she had when she had went to get them. "I know… but I know that if something doesn't happen, this will haunt me forever. For years I would go into town to swipe things, but I have never, in all that time, found a Moon Stone. I just want someone to check, to just make sure. If I went I might end up falling of the wagon even more than I already have. Or I might end up running into that furfrou again, and I don't want murder to be on my list of crimes."

Percival was impressed that she had the emotional energy to make a joke, and even one that caused him to snort slightly. She was regaining her usual personality. Arthur walked back to his brother and gave him a look that asked, "Are we helping her?"

He sighed and nodded. _There's no way we can deny her non-regretfully._

Arthur turned around and said with almost overconfidence, "Then we have decided to help you!"

Marcy's eyes lit up immediately and mouth formed into a giant smile. "Oh! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she squealed excitedly. All of her desperation from before had faded away. She launched at Arthur with a giant hug that knocked him back a couple of feet. Percival laughed at him until it was his turn to be hugged.

"I almost forgot, please don't tell Lorelei about this for now," she begged. "I'll tell her about it later, once I've collected myself more. And one more thing… THANK YOU!"

"Alright, we won't inform Lorelei. May we return to the village for now?" he asked calmly. She just nodded excitedly before loudly thanking them one more time, and bounding away.

"Well that just happened," Percival said in the silence _._

"Why don't we talk about this more later? They're probably getting worried about us back at home," Arthur said, but his brother only vaguely heard him.

 _What am I thinking going back there? It's only going to bring back painful memories. But we promised Marcy, I can't get out of this. Oh no, I'm not going to be able to do this, I'm going to break the second I step foot there. What should I-_

Bright light stabbed his eyes and broke his concentration. He looked around to see that Arthur had dragged him to the Pokemon Village during while he was lost in thought. He shook off his brother's hand and walked back by himself.

They had decided to move on without him and Arthur, which was probably for the best. Lorelei was talking, and talking, and Nancy was listening intently. Morgana was nervously looking around, grinning once she finally laid eyes on her sons.

"Hey! Look who's back!" she shouted to them. They sat down again, but with Arthur sitting next to Lorelei.

They all asked what was wrong with Marcy, but only got vague answers. After a bit everything returned to normal. They talked and joked and teased, and soon the day was over.

The sun rose that day with everything normal, and it set with two brothers sneaking away.

"Ugh. Ow! I keep tripping over-gah!-tree roots!"

Percival sighed at Arthur's complete lack of stealth. He started to pity the all the sleeping Pokemon they had probably woken up. He laughed at Arthur tripping over the fifth tree root, before tripping over Arthur.

"Ow! Ha… now you know the pain," his brother wheezed weakly. He was pushed away harshly and his head bumped lightly against another tree root.

Arthur stood up and brushed himself off. He started walking before dazzling gleam hit knocked him over again. Part of Percival regretted using a move with a type advantage, but Arthur didn't seem that mad.

All he did was look at him through the darkness and say, "Seriously?" before standing up and stumbling forward.

They finally found a path leading to Snowbelle city. It was slowly getting more and more familiar, and bringing back more memories.

* * *

 _"Hey! Calem doesn't want us going that way. You must remember what happened with the trevenants."_

 _"You and Darius used to live here? It's so dark and ominous though."_

 _"Hey, Nettle! What kind of creepy ghost pokemon do you think live here?"_

 _"I bet you miss your home, huh buddy? Sorry, but after what happened last time I can't be sure it's safe for the rest of the team."_

* * *

The last memory caused tears to sting his eyes, but he kept going forward.

"Looks like we're here," Arthur chattered. Percival looked up at the snowy town and slightly regretted choosing to search at night. He sighed and misty swirls escaped his mouth.

He winced at the feel of snow engulfing his foot every time he took a step. He was about to suggest a plan for searching to Arthur, who was looking through a trash can.

"I don't think it would be there…" he said, fading away once Arthur gave a cry of victory.

"Ah hah! I knew I smelled some!" he yelled before pulling something out of the can. Percival walked over to him slowly, slightly afraid of what it might be.

It turned out to be a small bag of Rare Candies that someone had thrown away. He immediately tried to grab them out of his brother's hand, who immediately moved them out of reach.

"No! You haven't had any in four whole months!" he scolded Arthur. "The reason we're here is because of Marcy's unhealthy habit, we don't have time to deal with yours!"

"What? It's just a bag of Rare Candies some idiot threw out, it won't be like last time," he said, sounding like he hadn't said that before.

"You mean when you had like six? And the afterwards headaches, nausea, and hallucinations? And when I was the only one around at the time to take care of you? And when the things I mentioned lasted for two straight days?" Percival said very, very skeptically.

Arthur nodded and said, "That's what I'm saying will _not_ happen. Look, I'll only take two." He pulled two out of the bag and showed Percival before placing the bag on the trash can.

He mumbled under his breath about how annoying it was when Arthur would sass while trying to act mature. He kept grumbling as he grabbed a candy from the bag and popped it in his mouth.

Arthur laughed shortly and said, "We should probably start looking now. If I were a Moon Stone, where would I be?"

Percival bit back every sarcastic comment that he immediately thought up, instead looking for where a Moon Stone might have been stolen. _She probably wouldn't have stolen from a house, but she was pretty desperate to evolve. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt for now._

He looked around most of the houses anyway, but found nothing. Wherever he looked he couldn't find a Moon Stone, yet could see the gym. It only brought back more

* * *

 _"It was an ice type gym, and Papa completely dominated it!"_

 _"If my daddy were to fight the gym, he would completely_ abolish _them. Get it?_

 _"I don't appreciate your puns, Missy."_

 _"Are you guys looking at the gym? You know, Luna's dad really helped me win the fight against Wulfric."_

* * *

He shook his head and tried to focus. In this moment of great focus, the Rare Candy managed to fall out of his mouth. He groaned and crouched down to try and find it in the snow. _It's like it swallows everything that drops in it._

He felt something round and picked it up and popped it back in his mouth. The first thing he noticed was that it was freezing cold, the next thing he noticed was that it tasted almost metallic. The final thing he noticed was that his body had started glowing.

"Whoa! What's wrong?" Arthur yelled, and was much closer than Percival thought he was. The sudden noise and his already present nervousness caused him to swallow whatever the heck was in his mouth.

The glowing stopped. He felt different, but it was a familiar different. To be sure, he looked down, and blacked out.

* * *

 **Author's Note: This was a lot more dramatic than intended. Marcy's kleptomania was originally more comedic, and she was a lot more sneaky when asking Arthur and Percival for help. Then I realized it might not look good for Lorelei to be best friends with someone like that. Feedback is greatly appreciated.**

 **The next chapter is "Mega Problems".**


	4. Mega Problems

Chapter 3

 _The Pokemon Park was closed at night, but they were the exception. Albus had started doing fire tricks and they circled around to watch. Shellshocker kept trying to put out the flames by shooting water at them. Luna laughed every time one her father's flames were put out, and he made a ridiculous yelp._

 _Percival was sitting next to Darius and Jonathon, who was asleep. He and Darius would sometimes psychically help the water hit the flames and laugh along with Luna._

 _After the seventh flame put out, Albus started getting a little ticked. "Okay! I think that's enough of that!" he snarled. Shellshocker responded to this by blasting him with gallons of water. He quickly retracted into his shell seconds before flamethrower engulfed him._

 _"Whoa! Stop it you guys," Calem yelled at them. Even he couldn't stop the angry delphox from roasting Shellshocker. Albus was stopped by a wave of water that drenched the other Pokemon as well._

 _"I think you overdid it, Itachi," Serena said while chuckling slightly. Calem ignored his wet clothes and ran over to her. Itachi stood next to her with his arms crossed smugly ,and his tongue scarf blowing in the non-existent wind._

 _"Itachi!" Albus and Jonathon shouted in unison. Itachi yelped and quickly hopped away once Jonathon rose to his feet. No one, including Luna, bothered to help him as Jonathon attacked._

 _"That poor frog," Abolish said while walking over from Serena's side._

 _"Daddy!" Missy squealed and ran over to him. Leviosa did the same thing in a more restrained manner._

 _"Hey Calem, is that gardevoir over there Percival?" Serena said, and attracted his attention._

 _"Yeah that's him. I bet you're just asking because you want to see him mega- evolve huh," he said with the smile that was always on his face whenever she was around. She nodded vigorously._

 _Calem called Percival over, and held up his bracelet, which held the Key Stone._

* * *

"Hey! It looks like he's waking up!"

He sat up groggily and rubbed his head. It was bright out, and he was back in the Pokemon Village. Nancy, Lorelei, Arthur, Morgana, Pyre, and several garbodor body guards surrounded him.

He looked at himself, and groaned. He was mega-evolved, by some miracle he was mega-evolved.

"Are you okay?" Nancy asked gently.

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright," he rasped quietly. His head hurt, his neck hurt, he didn't feel good in general. Power was coursing throughout his entire body, but it felt more like it was wearing away his energy. Though, at the same time, he still felt like he had the minimum amount of energy needed to move, talk, and, well, _live._

"So…" Arthur said awkwardly, "We can probably start planning now, right?"

Percival cocked his head in slight confusion, and asked, "Whatever are we planning for?"

That was the point when Lorelei joined in. "I'm glad to see that you are doing well, Percival," she began, "You should know that I forgive you and Arthur for keeping Marcy's situation a secret. I've already had a talk with her, and it is resolved. What Arthur is talking about, is planning for a way to help your dire situation."

This made him cock his head even further, even more confused. "My… dire situation? I understand that my change is unorthodox, but it's not in need of an urgent resolution."

They all stared at him for a bit, before Arthur said, "You're kidding, right?"

Percival shook his head, and they all shared a look that he couldn't read, but he could sense their worried emotions increasing. The flowers in the village were as colorful as ever, but their worry, and his increasing dread, hung over it like a cloud heavy with rain.

"You probably don't remember, you were pretty exhausted," Pyre said. "But last night, when Arthur carried you back, you were awake enough to explain what had happened. We brought Miss Hellebore to make sure if you would be completely okay, we weren't quite sure what else to do. She came to the conclusion that, well," his words were faltering. "The continuous mega-evolution would start putting to much of a strain on your body, and, well, might eventually… kill you."

No matter how quickly or clumsily the words came out of Pyre's mouth, they still left a chill in the air.

 _This couldn't kill me… could it? I've only mega-evolved during battle, and then it wore off. It never seemed_ deadly. _I don't remember waking up, but I do recall my dreams having a gap in between them. I am really tired, but I still feel like I have just enough energy…why am I wearing a dried Kasib berry?_

"But!" Pyre exclaimed,as if he sensed his son's confusion, "She gave you a necklace with a dried Kasib berry on it. Back in the olden days, they were worn as good luck charms, mainly to ward off dark spirits. While that isn't the case here, is it working?"

Percival gripped the berry with one hand, and thought for a moment. "I think it is," he said quietly. The berry seemed to be radiating weak energy that flowed through his body, though much slower than the energy that was draining him.

Pyre grinned, and said, "Great! So are you all up to date?"

"I think, but I'm still not sure what we're planning for," he said.

Arthur nodded. "Yeah, you were never clear on that with us either, what are we planning for?" he asked. Nancy, Lorelei, and even Morgana agreed with the lack of information.

Pyre sighed, and resembled Marcy when she had a hard time explaining what had happened in Snowbelle. He began explaining after a few irritating seconds, "Well I haven't explained everything to you two that well. I should start at the beginning, I am technically royalty."

 _…what?_

"…What?"

"Well, it's nothing to be really proud of," he insisted.

A garbodor muttered something under his breath.

"I was sort of banished, well not really, it just felt like it. I'm pretty sure that was the feel my step-mother was going for. My father is King Filth IIX, ruler of the Kingdom of Pollution, he was a muk."

 _Our grandfather is muk royalty? And the ruler of the Kingdom of_ Pollution? _Are there even muks in Kalos? Wouldn't that mean that we're royalty?_

"My mother was a lovely magcargo by the name of Flare, but moving on. In the castle-"

"C-Castle?" Arthur spluttered.

"Yes, there was a castle, I lived in a castle. In the castle, there was one of the most knowledgeable minds we may ever know, Madame Virgo. I never met her, she stayed hidden away in a room in the back of the castle. Only a few pokemon, including my father, were allowed to see her. She was even knowledgeable about, among other things, mega-evolution," he said, clearly proud of his own build up.

Arthur raised his hand. "This may be off topic, but is your whole royalty thing the reason we have garbodor bodyguards?" he asked.

Morgana sighed and said, "Yes Arthur, that is why we have garbodor bodyguards." She turned to her husband with a skeptical expression and asked, all sass included, "Do you really expect us to bring Percival all the way to Lumiose City, to ask to see someone we might not be allowed to see, to ask for answers we might not get, from someone who might be dead. I love you dear, but isn't that relying on luck a bit too much?"

 _Mother has really got a good-_

"It's not as iffy as you may think it is," a deep, gravelly voice said. Nancy squeaked adorably in shock, and everyone else, including Percival, jumped. The voice came from one of the nearby garbodors, and it was the biggest of them. "Sorry for shocking you, but I overheard your conversation, and I wish to be of service. My name is Grub, I fought as a commander in the sewage civil war nine years ago."

Percival could see Arthur trying not to laugh at the name "Grub", but the former commander looked dead serious. Grub explained that Madame Virgo was most definitely not dead, right before volunteering to go in place of Pyre, stating that his levels were too low for it to be safe. Percival wasn't too ecstatic about going all the way to Lumiose City with a complete stranger, and one that was somewhat intimidating.

"If Percival is going all the way to Lumiose, then me and Lorelei want in too!" Nancy said suddenly, her voice becoming even more like music to his ears than it already was. That was the point when Arthur decided that he was also coming, and there was nothing stopping him.

Grub's serious expression became a skeptical one. He examined the three of them with a careful eye, before shrugging his shoulders and saying, "Alright."

Morgana was rapidly tapping her foot, waiting for an opportunity to say something. Once she got it she said, "I'll accept that me and Pyre are too weak to come, and that we would know if Madame Virgo is dead or not, but how do you expect them to let you see her? Even Pyre wasn't allowed!"

That shut them up for a bit, it seemed to make everything shut up for a bit. All Percival could hear for that time was the sound of the river rushing by, and Pyre's bubbling magma body. His mother looked and sounded angry, but there was a deep desperation behind it all.

Then his father gently said, "Dear, I understand that you are stressed-" she sent him a spine chilling glare, even without showing her eyes. He exhaled, and then continued, "But, I may have a solution. When I left, my father gave me an amulet to prove my heritage to any possible allies. If I were to give the amulet to them, it would prove their heritage. And if they explained the situation to him, I know my father would let them see her." Every word was like a step in a mine field, it was careful, and nervous at the thought of being blown up.

"Where is this amulet?" Percival asked, quickly pulling his father out of the field.

Pyre smirked, and stuck his head in the ground. There were a few awkward seconds where the only sound was that of the ground sizzling. Pyre finally pulled out a silver amulet, with a dark purple gem in the shape of a splatter as a centerpiece.

He slithered over, and gave it to Arthur, who put around his neck.

"Then… we're all set," Nancy said quietly. No one else spoke.

 _I don't think anyone planned on this, except for Father. Do we just go? Lorelei would have to tell her family, but do we just leave after that?_

 _We're really going to Lumiose City?_

The sun rose that day, with a gardevoir learning that he may not live to see it set.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Halfway through writing this I burned my hand, and I had to finish it using just my left. It was hard…sort of. That's why this was sort of rushed. I would also like to make an announcement. After this I am going to make a story about Percival's old team, from the point of view of Chester the Chespin.**

 **The next chapter is Route 20 and Beyond**


	5. Route 20 and Beyond

Snowbelle wasn't as cold as it was when Percival and Arthur had been there the night before. It was still cold, but the sun reflected off the snow, and the entire town was glowing white. There were people laughing and talking, as their pokemon followed them around. The entire thing was like a sick joke.

He looked away from the glowing city, and instead looked at the tunnel that lead out of Snowbelle into Route 21. That only reminded him of the cold and stormy night that he ran through the gate, and threw a round stone on to the ground.

All five of them hid in the trees next to the gate, waiting for the opportunity to dash through. Grub was giving constant warnings about how dangerous it was going to be, and how careful they had to be. Lorelei and Nancy were starting to look nervous, and even Arthur was shaking a little. The two opposing energies that were already coursing through Percival's body, were being joined by adrenaline.

"Alright, we go through the gate on three. One. Two," Grub said. All of their anxiety started getting tangled around Percival, and he felt paralyzed. Grub uttered the final word. "Three."

He ran as fast as he possibly could in that situation. He made a quick turn to the left, and ran into the unknown. There only seemed to be one person in the tunnel, a woman that screamed her head off.

When Percival reached the outside, sun hit his eyes, and something heavy rammed into his side. His body was thrown down, and skidded across the dirt and grass.

"Oh crud, what did crustle just hit?" a human voice said. Percival stood up, after some difficulty, coming from his current state. Arthur and Lorelei stood in front of two ace trainers and their pokemon. A sableye, crustle, vileplume, and wailord, stood in a protective line in front of their trainers. Grub and Nancy finally reached the other end of the tunnel, slowly and steadily.

"Whoa! What's up with that gardevoir you hit?" the male trainer asked.

"Now there's a _chandelure_? How is one of those in these parts?" one of females said, with a slight shrill in her voice.

"Um, guys, they're not looking too happy," the other female trainer said. Percival realized that anger was flying off of his brother and childhood friend in sparks.

Grub started panting heavily, and breathlessly asked, "What… happened? Why are-"

"Vileplume, use Stun Spore!" the first female trainer yelled. The vileplume looked at them with an evil look on his face. Several spores shot out of the flower on top of his head. Grub, Nancy, and Percival were out of range of the attack, and Lorelei and Arthur jumped out of the way.

"Brats," the vileplume spat. The ace trainers were about to order even more attacks, before two things happened. The first one was Arthur collapsing with a cry of pain. He clutched his leg while muttering, with his entire body shaking. The second was Grub belching loudly, and foul smelling gas filled the air.

"Arthur!" a voice shrieked, but Percival was unable to see who, due to the gas. He covered his nose and mouth with his the hands. He heard the second female trainer yell commands.

"Sableye! Clear out the gas by running arou-" she burst into a fit of coughs.

Percival couldn't see anything, and he had to rely on sound to find his way. There was pink flash that could be seen through the gas, and he heard something that sounded like Lorelei saying, "Stay. Away. From. Arthur."

It was followed by the sound of her crying out in pain.

Tears started forming in his eyes. Part of it was from the horrible gas, the other part was from an emotion burning deep in his chest.

"What's going on?" an ace trainer asked.

"I think sableye took out the gothitelle," the other one answered. There were more flashes of pink light, and the trainers started yelling more commands. A wave of water filled the area, and Percival only had a few seconds to get out of the way.

The gas had mostly cleared away, and he had to quickly assess the situation. Lorelei was badly wounded by the sableye, and Arthur was on the ground next to her. His brother was clutching his leg in one hand, and trying to attack the darkness pokemon with the other. Nancy was being attacked mercilessly by the wailord. The vileplume was covered with burns, and was being taken down by Grub. The crustle was coming towards Percival at top speed.

He dodged her first swipe at him, and her second one missed him by a hair.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the ace trainers throw a pokeball. He gasped, and fully turned his head in that direction. Crustle took that opportunity to land a blow to his head, right as the pokeball engulfed Lorelei, who had put herself in front of Arthur.

The second his head hit the ground, was the second he snapped.

He had dealt with bullies before, when him and Arthur were younger. Arthur would gladly return the favor to dare beat his little brother up. Percival, back when he went by Morgan, was always told by Morgana to be the peacemaker. He would happily stop fights in between Arthur and Darius, and grudgingly stop fights in between Arthur and whatever zorua or foongus was being a jerk that week. However, there was one time that Arthur had to be the one holding _him_ back. The time a certain ditto crossed the line.

He remembered being as angry as he had ever been at that point in his short life. It wouldn't even be topped until many years later, on a day that could never be forgotten.

He recalled both times in the few seconds it took him to stand back up. It just made him even angrier.

 _Use Psychic._

The crustle was blasted back.

 _Use Dazzling Gleam on that pathetic sableye._

He turned to the ghostly imp, and bright light filled the area.

 _ **"All of ye have sinned. Beg for thy souls, then I will show mercy."**_

The fabric of the world tore, and a black hole appeared above the ace trainers. They screamed in fear, and fled with their pokemon.

"P-Percival? Percival? Percival! PERCIVAL! **PERCY!** "

He fell to the ground. He groaned and looked around. Nancy was slowly moving towards him, with her flames almost diminished. Grub was walking over to where Arthur and Lorelei were, with a broken pokeball by their side.

"Um… are you… okay?" Nancy asked gently. He looked at her. His entire body was trembling. She looked worried, and very afraid, but she still got closer to him.

"I- what happened? No, wait… I remember," he stuttered, while putting his hand on his forehead. Nancy put two of her thin, metal arms around his neck, and gave him what was as close to a hug that a chandelure could manage. He cringed.

"What on earth just happened?" Arthur asked loudly.

"There's no time for questions, those trainers have probably gone to Snowbelle for help, so we can't return to the Winding Woods. We have to move, fast." Grub said, and no one else spoke. Nancy helped Percival to stand, though it was more like they were leaning on each other. Arthur had to get Lorelei and Grub to help him stand.

 _There's no way we can make in this state…this is it._

"Do you sweeties need some help?" a high-pitched voice sang. An altaria flew out of the red flowers that were nearby. She was humming a sweet tune that seemed to soothe all of his injuries.

"Who are you, may I ask? And if you are someone who is willing to be an aid, then yes we do require help," Lorelei said.

"I am Hera, and the reason I'm here is because I want to help you poor things," she cooed. Percival wasn't sure how he felt about being called a "poor thing", but Hera didn't seem to have any malicious intent.

"Not to be rude, but I think we need some help like, right now," Arthur said.

Hera nodded, and said, "Of course, of course. I will fly you over to a house that's in the area, you can be healed there. It will take more than one trip though."

"That's okay," Percival gasped, now that his power rush was fading, he was becoming extremely exhausted and pained.

Hera decided to take Lorelei and Nancy first. There was no discussion in between the three males as they waited for her return. She then took Arthur, and, just as he had with Nancy and Lorelei, Percival got a feeling of dread at his loved one being taken away. Then it was his turn to be taken away by the mysterious alteria. Flying was as terrifying as he remembered, luckily the trip was fairly short.

He was dropped in front of a small, humble house. The door was open, and he could hear Arthur talking loudly inside. He stumbled inside, and a young girl greeted him. She was blonde, and wore what appeared to be a karate outfit with a white belt around its waist. She grabbed his arm, and lead him over to the others.

An older man, dressed in a similar, but different outfit, was tending to their wounds. Lorelei had her lips pressed tightly together as the man sprayed a potion on her sableye-inflicted wounds. Arthur was talking to her, probably to talk her through her pain. Nancy was humming, while swinging back and forth in the air, clearly enjoying her state of health.

"You're done," the man told Lorelei. He patted her on the head, and earned glares from both her, and Arthur

"Yo, Bruce! Hera brought another one," the girl said.

Bruce looked up, as did the rest of them.

"Another one? Jeez, what the heck happened?" he said. He turned back to Arthur, only to do a double take. "Whoa, that is weird. Why does that gardevoir look so weird?" he said.

"Oh yeah, I guess he does," the girl said, "But he's still injured, we can ask questions later."

 _Thank you._

Bruce sighed, and all he said was, "Okay, but that altaria better have a good explanation when she gets back."

Percival sat down next to Arthur, who was being sprayed with a paralyze heal. "After this is done, you're going to have a lot of explaining to do," his brother said through gritted teeth. All he could do was smile at him.

Grub and Hera finally made an appearance, and the altaria looked rather out of breath. Bruce had finished taking care of his wounds, and it was probably for the best. Once he saw Grub, he groaned loudly.

"Hera, please tell me there are no more," he said while his hand rested on his forehead. Hera shook her head, and Bruce sighed in somewhat relief. Bruce and the girl started taking care of the garbodor, who wasn't as injured as the others, and Hera walked over to the four of them.

"This is my home if you haven't figured out already, and they're Bruce and Maya, my trainers," she cooed.

She told them everything about her trainers and her home as they waited for Grub to be healed.

Once he was, Bruce took Hera so she could somehow explain their presence. Percival was a little glad that they were out of earshot, even though Hera already knew what had happened, and her trainers couldn't understand a word they were saying.

"There is only one thing I want to know, what the heck happened with Percival?" Arthur said. All heads turned towards him.

 _Even I do not understand it completely._

"Well," he began. While carefully planning on how he would structure each sentence. "My… burning rage, at that current moment, apparently caused the full release of my psychokinetic powers."

Arthur looked satisfied, and then skeptical. "So you got mad, and your psychic powers went crazy? I get that, but what was with whole mercy thing?" he said.

 _Oh right, that._

All he could say was, "I got a little ahead of myself."

"I know the past hour has been stressful, but we can't focus on that right now," Grub intervened. "We need to focus on what is important. What is our plan now? We still need to get out of Route 21, and then we still have to go by Victory Road, and there will no doubt be trainers there. We need to plan accordingly."

He was beginning to sound like a commander for a war, which probably shouldn't have been unexpected.

"What would you dears be planning for?" a familiar alteria asked. Nancy jumped at the new voice, but no one else did. Hera slowly flew over to where they all sat in a circle.

"I can assume that everything went well with your trainers?" Lorelei said, and didn't give Hera a chance to respond before continuing, "We are planning to travel to the Kingdom of Pollution in order to restore Percival's fading life force."  
Lorelei could probably silence a cluster of combees in five seconds flat.

"Well, I won't pry very much on that… particular aspect," she said, looking at Percival quickly. "But may I share some insight I have? My mother told me many stories about many things, the Kingdom of Pollution was one of them."

Grub was clearly about to reject her offer, but Percival stooped him. "That's sounds very interesting," he said. He looked at Nancy out of the corner of his eye, and she looked happy. He could tell that she had fallen in love with the cheerful altaria.

"Yeah, it might be useful," Arthur chimed in, either picking up what Percival was trying to do, or he genuinely wanted to hear her stories. It could have been both.

"Well then, I guess I have to think of a story to tell then," Hera said, while she nestled down in between Arthur and Grub. "My favorite story, if I recall, was the story of Lord Dross and Lady Dreck."

The sun rose that day, and it set with them getting little planning done.

* * *

"Bye-bye!" Hera called to the five pokemon that were in the middle of their departure. It was early in the morning, and there was a chill in the air.

"Bye! Thanks for all your help!" Nancy called back.

"Would it kill you to be more quiet?" Arthur grumbled, he was tired.

"My dear, the entire point of waking up early is so that we don't bump into any trainers, so don't try to wake any up," Percival snapped, he was also very, very tired.

"Oops, sorry," the chandelure mumbled. Lorelei probably would have smacked the two of them over their heads for talking to Nancy like that, but she was practically asleep on Arthur's shoulder.

"Let's go," Grub whispered to them. They started walking towards the entrance to Victory Road.

Percival started getting nervous, extremely nervous. He found himself moving closer to Nancy, something that he would never choose to do. He had to calm himself. It wouldn't be that bad, all he had to do was not think about it. To his momentary relief, they stopped before entering.

"Now we will try a new approach, let's try to look like we belong here. We will have to block Percival from view though, he would attract way too much attention," Grub said. Then he led them in.

The gate to Victory Road was dark. It had dark walls, and a dark floor.

 _I remember when Calem brought me here for the first time. Don't think about it, don't think about it… DON'T THINK ABOUT IT!_

"I can't do this," he finally said. They all looked at him. "I can't do it, I don't want to do this." He started backing away, hoping that he was moving towards where they had entered, as his eyes were closed tight.

He felt a hand grab his, one opened eye revealed it to be Lorelei's. She had lifted her head off of Arthur's shoulder, and was tightly gripping his hand.

"Calm down," was all she said, and it was hard to believe such a short sentence came from her.

He just stared at her hand, he focused on it, hoping to distract himself.

 _Calm down, calm down, calm down. All you have to do is walk for a bit, then it will all be over. Then you can forget everything that happened here. Just focus on something and just stare at it._

He stared at her hand, and then at Arthur, who had grabbed his other hand. They started slowly leading him towards the entrance to Route 22.

"What is up with those pokemon?"

"I don't know, they don't seem to be doing anything."

"The morning is kind of chilly isn't it? Not that I would notice, since I'm fire type _and_ a ghost," Nancy rambled. Her voice helped to block out his thoughts. He closed his eyes again, and just focused on walking forward with each, shaky step.

Morning light finally touched his eyelids. He opened his eyes, and he saw that they had reached outside.

"What just happened?" Arthur said. His brothers eyes were drilling into him, searching for an answer.

"It's nothing," he finally said, his voice faint, "I have some bad memories of that place"

"Percival," Arthur sighed, "Bad memories don't usually make someone have a near breakdown. What happened?"

"Some memories are worse than an embarrassing incident, _Arthur,_ and I believe that this one is not of thy permission to know about," he quickly snapped at his brother. Nancy and Lorelei looked shocked, Grub looked mildly irritated, and Arthur looked extremely irritated. Percival sighed. "Look, can we just forget it?" he said.

Arthur was about to snap back, but Lorelei put a hand on his shoulder. "Percival, it is alright if you do not wish to discuss it now, but may I request that you and Arthur remain civil with each other?" she said.

"Fine," Arthur grumbled, and started walking ahead of the group. Percival was only mildly worried about it, Arthur wouldn't stay mad about it forever. They were both just tired.

Grub just grunted, and turned around to follow after Arthur. Lorelei followed after him, but Nancy stayed by him for a bit longer. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked softly. He nodded, and she reluctantly moved on.

Route 22 was empty, except for a single trainer in a sleeping bag, and the occasional bunnelby scampering by. Arthur still refused to talk to him, and Lorelei returned to sleepwalking with her head on his shoulder.

Santalune City was also fairly empty, but some people were waking up, so they walked on the outskirts. In the center of the town was a fountain, with a statue of a roselia as a centerpiece.

"Mom always said the fountain in Santalune was beautiful," Arthur said abruptly, not making it clear who he was talking to.

 _Yeah, she said she would sneak over here from Route 4 just to look at it. I'm impressed that Arthur remembered._

Santalune was small, and it wasn't long until they reached the Route 4, the place of his and Arthur's mother's birth. There were almost as many flowers as there were in the Pokemon Village, and there were shrubs forming mazes.

He stopped to look at some of the flower buds, some of which were probably flabebes. He remembered the last time he was at route 4, he had done the exact same thing.

He heard Nancy call him, and he caught up with the rest of them.

They stood in front of the gate, it had a wide opening made of stone. The entire wall around the city was made of stone. Above the wall he could see some of the tall buildings that Lumoise was filled of.

"We're finally here."

* * *

 **Author's Note: This turned out much more intense than I originally planned. But moving on, thanks for the all the feedback!**

 **The next chapter is called "The Long Lost Princes of Filth".**


	6. The Long Lost Princes of Filth

"Wow! I think Lumoise is even bigger than when I last saw it," Nancy gasped.

The city was just as it had been the last time Percival was there. Tall, elegant buildings were still everywhere, and Prism Tower still reached up to touch the heavens. The sun was started to shine brighter, and its light caused the tower to glow white.

Even in the early morning, people were all around Lumoise. They had decided to stay in the shadows, but Nancy's light and the number of them made things quite difficult. Percival could see a man pointing at them, but his companion told him it was nothing.

"It has been famous for being the biggest city in Kalos for many centuries, and it still is," Lorelei said.

"There is no time for chit chat," Grub said, "We need to get to safety before anyone spots us."

"Cool it General Garbage, this isn't a war zone. The woman in the gate we just went through was asleep at her desk," Arthur snapped. "I don't think we're in that much danger." Percival sighed and rolled his eyes at his older brother's immaturity.

"Arthur, must I repeat what I have stated before, I understand your frustration with Percival," Lorelei said. Arthur was about to retort, but she cut him off, "Believe me, I'm the second eldest out of sixteen children, annoyance with younger siblings is no mystical concept to me."

Arthur sent Percival a scathing look, one that he didn't think was justified. Grub once again looked like he was greatly, greatly regretting his choice. Nancy looked extremely uncomfortable, and Percival could feel her discomfort crawling on his back.

More discomfort came upon him from Arthur's piercing look.

 _He got that from Lorelei, didn't he?_

A small part of him wanted to make a comment on his brother's maturity, but it would most likely only do damage to his own maturity level. So he instead kept his lips sealed together. He averted his eyes to two women who were staring at them with perplexed expressions.

 _The silence is only making the awkwardness worse._

"Fine," Arthur said, "Let's just go. Which way to the Kingdom of Pollution?"

Percival wondered for, what was surprisingly the first time in their journey, what the Kingdom of Pollution was like. He was hoping they would have suitable places for sleeping, as his perpetual exhaustion was slowly getting worse.

"Well, to be honest, it's been a while since I've returned here," General Garbage said. They all stared at him. "But it doesn't matter, just follow my lead and you'll be fine."

"That doesn't sound very comforting," Nancy whispered. Lorelei nodded.

Percival was about to join in the discussion, mainly because he wanted to do something other than try to ignore that Arthur was still drilling holes into him with his eyes. Then, he noticed something. Something that sent .Every. Single. Nerve. In his body, to a complete shutdown.

Two girls were cheerfully talking with each other, and walking in Percival's direction . One had a bright pink shirt and brunette hair, and another one wore a black and red dress and had honey blonde hair. He couldn't believe his own eyes.

 _What-Okay- I… Calm down. It's not them. It's probably them. It doesn't matter if it's them. It… Doesn't… Matter._

"Shauna? S-Serena?" he spluttered, starting to feel light-headed. He could sense that the others were staring at him, but he couldn't see it due to his vision tunneling. He allowed for his trembling knees to buckle on the hope that someone would catch him, which they did.

"Percy! Are you alright? What's wrong?" Nancy said. Her worried face blocked his view of the two girls. Grub picked him up bridal style, something that he only allowed in his current state.

Then, he heard a voice. A voice he only heard in memories and dreams.

"Percival!"

It was Serena. It was most definitely Serena.

* * *

" _Yo! Calem! Get over here before I go and drag you over by your ears!"_

" _I totally would have won that time! I just wasn't trying."_

" _What? There's no way you caught a kirlia at Route 20. You're lying. You. Big. Liar!"_

* * *

The sound of her voice somehow, instead of pulling him deeper into his current unstable state, gave him the strength to stand up. He pushed him self out of the garbodor's arms, and pushed past his brother to look at them

Arthur grabbed his arm. "What's wrong?" he said. But it was too late to change what he had just done. The two girls saw him in full daylight.

Arthur shoved his brother behind him. But once the pink clad girl had processed what her friend was saying, she ran right up to them.

"Oh my goodness!" she said, "It's really you!"

She had pushed Arthur aside with ease, and was now gripping his hands. She was grinning like a madwoman.

* * *

" _Oh, stop being so jealous of him, Serena! I believe him!"_

" _You're a little cutie, aren't ya? But you have a super refined name. Percival. It sounds like the name of a knight!"_

* * *

Pink waves of light blasted her back several feet, her body thudded against a stone wall and slid to the ground.

Percival gasped, realizing that he had just done that. Arthur and Nancy stared at him in horror, and Lorelei had her shocked gaze focused on Shauna. Suddenly, Grub had grabbed his waist and thrown him down to the ground.

His vision blurred. He heard bystanders shouting, and pokeballs sounded like they were releasing pokemon. He groaned and sat up. People were crowded around Shauna, except for Serena, who was staring at him.

"Percival, if that is you. You're in big trouble," she said. She pulled a pokeball from her purse and threw it to the ground. The light coming from it formed into an absol.

 _Abolish._

The pokemon that other people released turned towards them.

 _Oh no. Oh no. Oh no._

Arthur took a fighting stance, Lorelei took her place next to him. Nancy floated over to Percival's side. Grub had disappeared to somewhere.

" _ **Percival,**_ " Abolish said. A primal growl emitted from his throat. " _ **Where on earth have you been?**_ "

* * *

 _"I'll give you some advice, newbie. I don't have any problems with you, but I have two rules. Don't mess with my family, and don't mess with my trainer, or anyone they care about. Don't break these rules, and we'll get along swell. Break these rules, then we have a_ _ **very big problem.**_ _"_

* * *

"I-I'm sorry," he said, but he couldn't say anything more before Abolish dashed forward, and claws shrouded in darkness tore into his stomach. He stumbled back. The attack didn't really do that much damage, but the force was too much for his already weak legs to handle.

He unleashed Dazzling Gleam on instinct. It seemed to achieve on knocking Abolish back. He lay on the ground, his vision tunneling.

He could hear fighting. He struggled to sit up, but finally set his head back down and closed his eyes.

 _I can't deal with this anymore. I give up. Let them take me, let me be captured. I'll have to face them again, and I don't think I can take that pain, but I just can't do this anymore. What if I somehow get separated from them again? What if live the rest of my life dwelling on that I never made up with Arthur? Or that I never told Nancy how much I love her? What if my parents just wait around waiting for us to come back? What if-_

A horrible, sickening, and an absolutely foul smell filled the air. Percival sat straight up, covering his mouth with one hand, and clutching his stomach with the other. Arthur was doing the same, and Lorelei had her head buried in his shoulder in an attempt to block out the smell. Nancy seemed perfectly fine, but everyone else in the area was clearly affected.

He watched as the spectacular turn of events played out in front of him.

An entire sea of muks and grimers flooded the streets. Trubbish and garbodors surfed upon the waves, belching filthy smog into the air.

Soon, Percival was drowned in slime and filth. The smell was so pungent that he lost consciousness.

* * *

"Oh stop whining you big hunk of filth! It's just a little scratch!"

"Kalopsia, is it possible that you have gotten even more unpleasant since the last time I saw you?"

Percival sat up slowly, massaging his temple with one hand. Wherever he was smelled like the garbage cans back at the Pokemon Village, and was as dark as the inside of them. A faint growling sound echoed around him. There was a faint glow that could be traced back to the outline of a chandelure.

"Nancy?" he said.

"Percy! You're awake!"

She floated over to him, and extended her metallic arm for him. He grudgingly took it, immediately letting go once he was standing.

His eyes had adjusted, and by the faint light streaming through the cracks in the walls, he could see the room. It was a decent sized room that reeked like a garbage dump that had gotten caught in a rainstorm. The walls looked like they were made of hardened sewer sludge. It was extremely hot and stuffy. There was a table with a broken leg, topped with dead flowers lying in a pile of broken vase shards. Other than that, the room was empty.

Grub was there, which explained why Percival had heard his voice, standing next to a shadowy figure named Kalopsia.

On the ground was a limp figure with someone kneeling next to it. Lorelei and Arthur. Arthur was snoring loudly.

Lorelei stood up. "Percival, I see you have awoken. As you can see, we have been brought to the Kingdom of Pollution while we were unconscious. We are at the home of an old friend of Grub's, her name is Kalopsia. You should greet her firstly," she said. It was strange. Not her dragged out sentences, but she seemed to be talking to fill the space, and her voice was wavering.

"Hi there darling," the sickeningly sweet voice from before said. The shadowy figure drew closer, and Kalopsia revealed herself to be a muk. She held out one dripping, purple hand for him to shake.

He slowly reached out his own, and he cringed as they shook hands. "It's lovely to meet you, Kalopsia, " he said. He resisted the urge to wipe his hand off on the wall.

"You guys were in a hard spot there, luckily I can smell Grub from a mile away. I nabbed him before things got too ugly. And you should know that I'm quite an important figure in the kingdom, so it wasn't hard to convince the soldiers to go up there," Kalopsia said. The way she spoke was unsettling. She sounded proud, but in the way that someone who had just tricked a couple of mareep to dash off a cliff would.

"Thank you," he said.

 _I just realized how exhausted I am. Why is it so hot in here? I'm amazed that I can be tired with this horrid smell climbing up my sinuses._

"Urgh, ohhh that stinks," Arthur said. He started shifting and Lorelei grabbed one of his flailing hands to help him up.

"Looks like your cute brother is awake," Kalopsia said. Even in the darkness, Percival could tell that Lorelei was staring into the muk's very soul from across the room.

Nancy started saying, "Arthur! Now we're all awake, and we can-" Arthur grabbed his brother's hand. He must have had a good sense of where exits were, since he dragged Percival to the door outside of Kalopsia's house, and went to the outside.

Somehow, the collective stench of the Kingdom of Pollution didn't smell as bad as Kalopsia's house. Maybe it was because the smell was confined. It was also lighter outside. Faint, flickering, yellow lights were embedded in the tall gray walls.

Percival looked at his elder brother and tried to examine his brother's face in the newfound light. He could sense his emotions, but they were too jumbled to read. What he had found growing up, was that Arthur's strongest emotions would end up on his face one way or another.

His eyes were closed, he was trying to think before he spoke. He was inhaling and exhaling heavily, he was trying to calm himself completely. His lips were shut tightly together, he was keeping a waterfall of emotions trapped behind them.

 _What's he thinking? It's about my incident in Lumoise isn't it? I can't take another fight with him. What if he pries to much? Oh no… he's not going to let this go. He- he's-I can't deal with this- I can't-_

"Hey guys, are you okay?" Nancy said, her face peeking from behind the door. Lorelei was behind her, strangely twitching and desperately peeking out from behind Nancy.

"Nancy, can you leave us alone for a bit?" Arthur said. She nodded and shut the door again, he heard her apologizing to someone. The small bit of hope fluttering up inside of Percival crashed down into his gut as a block of dread. Seeing the familiar chandelure had brought him back to reality a little.

Percival turned his gaze to Arthur.

He remembered when he would run after each other, when they were just ralts. Arthur would run ahead shamelessly, and Morgan would run after, shouting at his brother in Archaic Pokenglish. The world was just that. Running, chasing, yelling, teasing, blushing, and getting back home before dark. Then the world expanded, when a certain ditto entered their lives. That was the first time Morgan had felt rage, and it was the first time he had seen Arthur hiding in an empty garbage can, sobbing. His brother was ashamed of his tears and tried to hide his face, tried to make naïve little Morgan go away. Morgan couldn't care less that his strong, big, brother was crying, but he cared that someone had caused him to cry. He cared that Arthur was in pain, but told no one. He cared that a certain ditto had caused one of the most important pokemon in his short life to cry.

Would Arthur really care if Percival the gardevoir broke down? Probably not.

He could feel the words on the tip of his tongue. He just had to say them, and it would over after that. The boulder would roll down the hill, and nothing would stop it from there. All he had to do was say it.

 _Just say it. Just say it. JUST SAY IT._

He opened his mouth-

"What's wrong with you?" Arthur said. He sealed his mouth shut again. "You were having a nervous breakdown in Lumoise, and you attacked that girl…"

Percival felt guilt stab at him when he remembered what he did to Shauna. The looks everyone had given him. His nervous system started breaking down again.

 _You need to calm down… use Calm Mind._

He repeated Arthur's motion of inhaling and exhaling, then answered. "What I did to her I regret greatly, and I wish I hadn't."

"You're doing it again. This time you're just sounding more sensible, but you're still doing it," Arthur said. "You're not giving me a clear answer. You're just avoiding it. Darn it Percival, that's what _I_ do. And don't think I didn't see that little internal freak out you were just having. Just tell me what's wrong."

Percival felt mildly irked by this, Arthur was sounding so reasonable.

"I don't believe it is anything you should know about, but I promise it won't affect our journey in the future," he said.

"Percy, it is something I should know about if it's troubling you. You never had to talk to Mom or Dad about this stuff because you were the perfect child, but when problems come, you have to talk about them."

"Perfect child? I wasn't the perfect child."

"Yes, you were. You were the one told to keep an eye on your older brother. It never really bothered me that much, so I never mentioned it."

"Well since you're bringing it up years later, it probably bothered you a lot. And don't ye think that it is slightly hypocritical to preach of opening up thy heart when ye never mentioned this issue of your own?"

"You're slipping back into Archaic Pokenglish again, I know you only do that when you're really upset."

"No, I am not. And I highly doubt that ye would know much about me when you are here inquiring about the state of my mind."

"Percy-"

"And I also believe that if ye are so ignorant to-"

"MORGAN!"

Percival stared at his brother. Arthur only called him that when he was still getting used to the new name, but never after that.

"Okay, I know you're upset. Why don't you just let me speak?" Arthur said, "I understand if you're not ready to tell me yet, but when you are, you can come to me. Okay?"

Percival suddenly realized that tears were forming in his eyes, struggling to escape. He wiped the dampness with his hands.

"I'm sorry," he said, cringing at how his voice was trembling. "It's just… I'm tired, and hot, and sore, and this place smells. And I'm pretty sure Kalopsia is a murderer or some sort of psychopath. And..."

Arthur snorted. "I can't understand a word you're saying. I haven't seen you blubber like this since you were recently hatched," he said. He pulled his brother into a hug.

"And… I hate it when you act more mature than me," Percival said, making sure that Arthur heard him.

Arthur snorted again, and said, "Yeah, that's your job. These past couple days have been really-"

"I hate to break up this tender moment," an oozing voice said, "But we need to bring you to the king."

They broke apart their embrace, to look up at a legion of muks and grimers standing there. One pointing a long, metal spear in their direction.

* * *

 **Author's Note: That scene with Arthur and Percival was so draining. The way Percival is feeling is unfortunately close to home for me. I hope it wasn't too angsty of a chapter. Anyway, thanks for the feedback! And I would always appreciate some more.**

 **The next chapter is called: The Kingdom of Pollution**


	7. Merry Morgan

The ground felt damp. The air felt cold. Wherever Percival was, he could tell that it was dark. He opened his eyes slowly, he was right. He closed his eyes again, at least that darkness was familiar.

He wasn't in the Pokemon Village, that was for sure.

 _Maybe this was how he felt when-_

He heard the sound of leaves and branches crunching. It was getting louder, and there were small vibrations in the earth that were growing stronger. Whoever was approaching sneezed loudly.

"Oh jeez," Arthur said. Percival felt his brother nudge him. "Come on, I'm here to bring you back. I can't believe this keeps happening."

Percival opened his eyes again, this time he kept them open. Once his vision adjusted, he could see his older brother crouched beside him. Arthur had waves of worry emanating from him, though they were being washed over by relief.

Once he had helped Percival up, Arthur asked, "Why do you keep sleep-walking? This is the fourth time this week I've had to track you down. Heh, maybe I should tie a bell to you."

"I'd prefer if you'd not do that, brother," Percival said with a small smile. Now that he could see, he found that he was in the Winding Woods. Faint light was trickling through the thick leaves, so it must have been early in the morning. They were standing in the exact same spot they had been the last three times Arthur had searched for him that week.

Arthur frowned, as if he noticed the same thing. "It's always this one spot…Hey, isn't this where-"

"Yes," Percival cut him off. He brushed dirt and leaves off of his legs and back, refusing to look at his brother's face. Arthur was quiet. Percival stared at the ground, which still had some patches of melting snow on it.

"Okay," Arthur finally said, "Then I suppose we should get back to the village before Mom has a panic attack." A wavering smile crossed his face. "It's kind of mean of you to pull this thing again on Arceusmas, heh."

Percival looked up, cocking his head in confusion. "Wait, Arceusmas?"

"Um, yeah," Arthur said, "It's today, don't you remember?"

"I mean, I was well aware that it was upcoming, but I wasn't aware that it would be so soon," Percival said. He looked up at his brother's face, and it finally hit him how much older he looked. The last Arceusmas they had spent together, they were both still stubby-legged ralts'.

"Well, it's today," Arthur said, "Maybe that's why you walked over here. All them young'uns were pretty excited last night, I'm surprised you managed to get to sleep." Once his comment got a small smile out of Percival, he continued. "Anyway, we should probably go back now."

Percival nodded.

On the walk back he noted the many decorations that had been put up. Noctowls had covered the trees with colorful flowers from the Pokemon Village, and they seemed to brighten up the dark forest.

He smiled a little when he remembered how him and Arthur would race through the forest together, and the flowers would become colorful blurs. They would run, staring up at the trees, until it started to give them headaches. Then, they would collapse on the ground, groaning and rubbing their heads.

He looked over at Arthur, who was also staring up at the trees. It seemed that he was remembering the same thing.

The Pokemon Village was bright and colorful, like usual. Though there was still lingering snow that refused to be melted by the intense sunlight. It was much more crowded than usual, as the residents of the Winding Woods were visiting.

Percival smiled when he saw Miss Hellebore surrounded by newly-hatched pokemon, as she told them a story. Mister Zephyr sat upon her head. He was singing boisterously, which was a rare sight only to be seen once a year.

"Come on," Arthur said, "We should probably find Mom, it started earlier than I thought it would. She's had enough time to plan our murders."

So they went to find their mother.

* * *

"Then Arceus formed the mountains with one hundred of his arms, the ocean with two hundred, and the skies with three hundred. The skies were to be filled with clouds, clouds that would cover the earth with rain and hail and snow."

Percival mouthed the words of Miss Hellebore's story as she spoke them. It felt like only a few days prior that he had heard them, when in reality it had been much, much longer.

Two of Lorelei's younger sisters, Marilyn and Lyra, were sitting on his lap. The other twelve of Lorelei's siblings were surrounding Arthur and her. She sat with her head on his shoulder, something she could do since she had recently evolved.

Pyre and Morgana stood to the side. Percival glanced over every few seconds to see his mother smiling at him instead of Miss Hellebore. He supposed that it was the first Arceusmas with him there in a while. But it still made him uncomfortable.

"The very first human to ever see Arceus fell down and worshiped him, for he was the creator of everything," Miss Hellebore said, "Did you know that humans have their own celebration very similar to our own? They call it Christmas."

Percival jerked his head back to look at the trevenant. That name was painfully familiar.

"They hang up lights, sing, give gifts," she continued.

Percival placed Marilyn and Lyra on the ground. They looked at him with betrayed expressions. "I apologize," he said, "Go join your brothers and sisters." Lyra sniffled and slowly started walking over to Lorelei while Marilyn patted her shoulder.

He stood up. Arthur gave him a confused look, but he didn't get up.

Percival maneuvered through the crowds, with one hand on his head.

* * *

 _Morgan hid behind Rowan, afraid of everything. There were lights all over, leaving no shadows to hide in. There were also humans all over, big, lumbering humans. He found himself trembling again._

 _"Oh come on Percival," the annoyed gothorita said, "I never thought you were this much of a coward. You're actually making me start to miss Arthur."_

 _"Rowan," Morgan said, "You know me, please don't call me Percival." He tried to stop his voice from trembling, but he couldn't help it._

 _Rowan sighed. "Morgan, you're going to have to get used being called Percival. It's the name Calem gave you, so it's the name everyone is going to call you. I understand, it took me a while to accept being called Darius. You'll get used to eventually, once you have it yelled at you for a bit," he said._

 _"Darius!" It was Zelda. "Get over here and help set up lights!"_

 _"Case and point," the gothorita said, before prying himself from Morgan's death grip. He ran off to help her, leaving the kirlia defenseless and alone._

 _Morgan glanced around nervously. He couldn't see any adequate hiding spots, or at least any that were nearby. He had never felt more defenseless in his entire life. If Arthur were there, everything would have been okay. He missed his older brother so badly, he missed his old life so badly. He tried to cling to his only connection to it, quite literally, but Lorelei's older brother didn't appreciate it._

 _There was a painful lump of bile in his throat. Tears brimmed his eyes. It was becoming hard to breath._

 _A large figure sat down next to him. It was the human who had captured him, Calem. Morgan froze, not even daring to turn his head to look._

 _"Are you okay little guy?" Calem said. Morgan flinched when he felt the boy's hand start to gently rub his head. "There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just lights, people, and pokemon."_

 _Morgan risked looking up at him. Calem had a gentle smile on his face, and his cheeks were rosy from the cold. The young trainer reached into his jacket, and pulled out a small piece of candy._

 _"Do you want it?" he said, holding it out._

 _The kirlia looked up at the boy, then at the candy, and Percival took it._

* * *

Percival splashed his face with the river's frigid water. He sat up rubbing his eyes. He hoped the river water would mask his tears.

"Dear, are you alright?" Morgana asked. She was behind him, with a concerned expression.

"I'm quite alright," he said, his voice not wavering. "I simply started feeling warm, I may be coming down with something."

She frowned, reaching up to feel his forehead. "I bet it's because you keep sleep-walking," she said, "You'd better start taking better care of yourself."

He smiled faintly, and all he said was, "I will."

She started scolding him some more, but was interrupted by, "HO! HO! HO!"

All heads were turned towards the entrance to the front of the Pokemon Village, where Wulfric was dressed in all red. He had a large sack slung over his shoulder, and an even bigger smile on his face.

 _I forgot about this tradition._

All the pokemon started swarming around him. Morgana also ran over, saying, "Children! No shoving!"

Percival stayed sitting by the river, and that's how he noticed her.

There seemed to be someone else besides him who hadn't run over. Half-hidden by a trash can, there was a lampent. She kept peeking out from behind it to look at everyone swarmed around Wulfric.

It took him a bit, but he finally decided to get up and walk over to her.

"Excuse me miss," he said. She jolted, and spun around to stare at him.

The first thing that he noticed now that she was looking at him was that she had very lovely eyes… But that was unimportant.

"Oh sorry," she said, "You startled me a little." He could still feel fear emanating from her, though it was receding.

"My apologies," Percival said. He hoped he sounded calm even though his mind was frantically searching for a conversation starter. On-the-spot socialization had never been his strong point. "I was just wondering, why don't you join them?"

"I'm, uh, new around here," she said. She chuckled nervously. "I guess you could say I'm a little shy." There was a small awkward silence while Percival mentally face-palmed himself for not remembering that lampents weren't native to the Winding Woods. "I mean, I'm usually super outgoing, but I'm a little out of my element here. Like, I've never…had such an…awkward conversation…"

Percival laughed a little at her statement, and all of her lingering fear turned into joy. "Worry not," he said, "We are all very friendly here, so I'm sure you'll find your place soon enough."

She brightened a little, though not literally. "Thanks, my name's Nancy by the way."

"Percival," he said, "It's very lovely to meet you."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Happy Holidays! So I lied a little about the next chapter, that will take a bit longer to get to. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this, and have a very nice day.**


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